South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay says he regrets the defections of three Conservative MPs but believes the new independent group is a "flash in the pan".

Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen have quit to join the new group saying that they could no longer support the party.

In a joint statement, the MPs said: "We find it unconscionable that a party, once trusted on the economy, more than any other, is now recklessly marching the country to the cliff edge of no deal."

Mr Mackinlay said: “I am not surprised by two of them but I am surprised by Anna Soubray, who is a good right of centre MP. I am sorry they have decided to leave but if they feel this is the right time, that is for them.”

But he said voters would be entitled to ask if the three MPs were pressing for a second referendum on Brexit why they were not prepared to put themselves forward for re-election.

He downplayed the significance of the new breakaway group, saying he did not believe that it represented a major challenge to mainstream politics.

Meanwhile, fellow Conservative MP for North Thanet Sir Roger Gale said the party needed to resolve its differences over Europe internally and that he was saddened by the defections:

"We find it unconscionable that a party... is now recklessly marching the country to the cliff edge of no deal..." defecting MPs

Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom Tugendhat said that the Conservative party needed to look to the future and also downplayed the impact the new group would have.

He said: “We all stood on manifestos that said we would honour the result of the referendum. I do respect the democratic will of those who elected us to serve because that is the way of getting a deal over the line.

"I wish my colleagues would do the same and I am sorry they won’t. We can speak about Europe all we like but the truth is people care about schools, buses and how they will get to work. I am constantly talking to people who care about the future and not the past and we have to make sure that future is about growth, ideas and opportunities."

He rejected the suggestion that he should join the defectors, saying in an interview with BBC News: “I understand very well that teams work and individual action tends not to. The truth is that all politics is about co-operation and compromise and this is what this place [Westminster] is about.”

The three MPs criticised the way the party had dealt with Brexit and what they said was its failure to tackle the group of MPs - including Mr Mackinlay - who belonged to the European Research Group.

They said: “Brexit has re-defined the Conservative party – undoing all the efforts to modernise it. There has been a dismal failure to stand up to the hardline European Research Group, which operates openly as a party within a party, with its own leader, whip and policy.”

The three will now be part of the group set up by seven Labour MPs this week.

The PM said she was "saddened", but her party would always offer "decent, moderate and patriotic politics".